


something so wholesome

by decidueye



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Drunk Kisses, M/M, takeda is trans but I don't say it specifically shame on me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-03-04 13:20:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3069617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/decidueye/pseuds/decidueye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takeda's so unassuming, he worms his way into Keishin's life before Keishin really knows what's going on. Keishin struggles to keep up, and the kids are all a little more observant than they should be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	something so wholesome

**Author's Note:**

  * For [keptein](https://archiveofourown.org/users/keptein/gifts).



> gifted to [logan](http://asexualtobio.tumblr.com/), one of the people that has made 2014 somewhat bearable for me. you crashed into my life exactly when i needed you and we were married before i could blink, and i could never be more grateful for it. let's make 2015 an adventure, okay?  
> thanks to [shannon](a%20href=) for looking over this for me when i had no clue if i was getting this right.

i.

They call him Take-chan.

Keishin doesn’t notice it until they’ve finished the practice match and everyone’s packed up. His mind’s still reeling from the short kid’s quick, running through tactics and plays in spite of himself, and their captain walks past them both as he leaves, casting a smug grin in Keishin’s direction before ruffling Takeda’s hair. The gesture alone is enough to catch Keishin off guard, but then he speaks.

“Thanks, Take-chan,” he says, and Takeda doesn’t even blink.

”Well, it’s the least I could do, really. Besides, I just got him here; the rest is up to you!” he replies, and the Captain - Sawamura, Keishin recalls, because he’s got to work on learning their names - laughs as he leaves. The others pile after him, yelling loudly about pork buns and bidding them both quick farewells, and Keishin counts at least three who use the same nickname.

 _Take-chan._ It’s not an insult, or at least, Takeda doesn’t seem to take it as one. If anything, he basks in the nickname, like he’s been accepted and he couldn’t ask for anything more.

Keishin catches the elbow of one of the kids - shaved head, a little too enthusiastic but a lot of talent which they can definitely utilise - as he’s walking through the doorway.

”Why do you call him that?” he asks. It takes the kid a second to figure out what he’s saying, but when he does he smiles broadly.

”Because he’s so cute!” he replies, like it’s obvious. Keishin guesses it is. “Why, do you want a nickname too, Coach?”

“No way,” Keishin releases his hold on the kid’s sleeve and folds his arms, watching him leave with the rest of them. Once all the players have gone, he helps Takeda lock up. There’s a pause as Takeda puts the keys in his pocket, but then he looks up at him through thick lashes, and Keishin swallows.

”So, are you hooked yet, Ukai-san?” he asks, almost coy. Keishin knows he is, but he needs to save face somehow after protesting for so long.

”You’ve got me until the match, that’s all,” he says, looking away. “I’m not making any promises about afterwards.” Takeda grins, and it lights up his whole face.

”That’s all I need. I’m sure they’ll have you trapped by then; this team is really something special.”

”We’ll see. I’m not so easily swayed,” Keishin warns. He’s lying.

Well, if it comes to it, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you here.”

Keishin snorts. “Careful, your knees are going to bruise with all that begging.”

”Oh, don’t worry, they’re used to it by now,” Takeda says, sailing past with wide eyes, and Keishin blushes to the dyed roots of his hair. “How about we get a drink to celebrate our new partnership? There’s a good bar near my apartment, and I really hope that we can make this bloom into something special.”

”This isn’t one of your poetry books,” Keishin responds, but follows him anyway.

They call him Take-chan, and he can make comments about spending time on his knees with such an earnest expression that Keishin finds himself feeling like a corrupt schoolboy.

Forget the team, it’s the teacher that has him trapped.

ii.

Post-practice drinks on a Friday evening quickly became routine, but after the practice match with Nekoma they’re suddenly tri-weekly, and when his mother calls Takeda’s phone because his has run out of battery, Keishin knows he’s in trouble. If he’s not at work or sleeping, he’s with Takeda, and even that’s not an accurate description because he’s fallen asleep on Takeda’s sofa way more often than he should be comfortable with.

He tells himself it’s fine, that it’s to be expected when they’re both single men whose lives have been consumed by the same hobby, but really, he knows he’s kidding himself.

Keishin can’t tell if Takeda is oblivious or just pretending to be. He makes him breakfast every Saturday morning, wakes him up with a coffee at 3 AM when he has to work in the fields, and he’s even started ironing his tracksuit.

_”It’s a tracksuit, Takeda, who irons a tracksuit?” He asks when Takeda presents it to him. They’re late for practice so he rushes to the bathroom to change, and Takeda answers through the door._

_”There’s something unpleasant about wearing yesterday’s clothes, don’t you think? At least this way they feel a little more fresh.”_

_”You’re such a housewife,” Keishin scoffs, and then winces. “Wait, husband, sorry.”_

_”I know the expression, Ukai-san, it’s alright. Now hurry up if you want to have breakfast!”_

They graduate from Ukai-san to just Ukai soon after that, after Shimada teases him for bringing a lunch box to the Neighbourhood Association practice, and Keishin is forced to admit to himself that, yes, the boundary really has been crossed.

iii.

It’s a shame, but Keishin doesn’t really remember their first kiss.

He’s not surprised they don’t make it through the preliminaries, but it still hurts, and seeing those kids cry makes something break in him. He gives them his best inspirational speech, which, admittedly isn’t much, and when they leave the restaurant he leans against the wall with a heavy sigh.

He’s not going to cry, not even now they’re gone. It doesn’t mean that much to him, and he can’t believe Takeda did cry.

 _Scratch that_ , he corrects himself as Takeda exits the restaurant, still sniffling as he calls a thank you to the owner. He can totally believe it. He’d probably be more surprised if he didn’t.

”Are you alright?” Takeda asks, wiping his face with a handkerchief. Keishin exhales slowly.

”I will be,” he replies. “We’ve got no time to waste grieving if we want to go to the Spring High.”

”We’ll go,” Takeda says, and he sounds so confident, even though his throat is tight and his eyes are watering. His faith in those kids is unshakeable, and Keishin wonders if he even realises how much that helps them.

They skip the bar, swiping a bottle of sake from Keishin’s shop and heading straight to Takeda’s apartment, and Keishin obviously hadn’t eaten as much as he thought, because everything after the first two hours is a blur. He wakes up at 4 AM, realising he’s still drunk when he tries to sit up and falls back onto Takeda’s bed. Takeda’s sleeping fitfully - the way someone who’s had too much alcohol always does - next to him, one arm slung over Keishin’s chest.

His lips are sore, and Keishin throws a hand over his face, groaning softly as he tries to remember.

If they did kiss - and they probably did, Keishin has no other explanation for the state of his lips and the brief, blurred memory of Takeda’s face way too close to his own - it wasn’t a good one. Keishin remembers teeth, the sharp dig of Takeda’s glasses and too much heavy breathing. He almost wants to say it doesn’t count, but then he’s not sure he’s going to get the opportunity to do it again.

Takeda wakes him in the morning with a sunny expression, bringing him breakfast on a tray with a glass of water and paracetamol. Keishin squints at him, pulling the blankets up to his neck.

”Why aren’t you dying?” he asks, and Takeda just smiles.

”I don’t get hangovers,” he says. “Besides, I drank water before I slept.”

He glides out of the bedroom before Keishin can throw a pillow at the door.

”You’re the devil!” Keishin yells, flinching at the sound of his own voice, and Takeda just laughs.

iv.

Takeda calls him ‘Keishin’ in the same way he does everything: suddenly, without ceremony, and like he’d been doing it the whole time.

It’s during practice, and he doesn’t give Keishin any time to react because he doesn’t even use the name to his face, the bastard. He’s talking to Sugawara, who’s still struggling a little with having to spend so much time off the court, and Keishin probably shouldn’t even be listening, but he is.

”...Keishin has a lot of faith in you,” Takeda says, laying a hand on Sugawara’s shoulder. “You might not see it but you’re so important to this team; without you our plans would fall apart.”

Sugawara doesn’t look like he’s buying it, but he smiles anyway - Takeda has that effect on people.

”Thanks, Take-chan,” he says, before moving off to join the other third years. Keishin makes a show of stretching before taking the chair Sugawara had vacated.

”They’re hard to manage, huh?” he says, and Takeda smiles.

”Not really,” he replies. “They all want to do their best, and we just have to remind them that they’re doing that. Sometimes I’m surprised by how mature they are, to be honest.”

”Well, they’ve got a good teacher,” Keishin says, and then glances at Takeda out of the corner of his eye, “Ittetsu.”

There’s no reaction, and Keishin has to admit he’s a little disappointed, but when he turns to face him he sees that Takeda - _Ittetsu_ \- is smiling, and it’s not a surprised smile but something more _satisfied_ , like he’d planned the whole thing.

Despite spending so much time together Keishin forgets, sometimes, that Ittetsu is as devious as he is determined, playing on his innocent looks to get his own way. Remembering probably wouldn’t make a difference, though, because Keishin lets him get away with it even when he knows what’s happening.

v.

Keishin had planned this. He was going to take Ittetsu aside after practice, and say something smooth. He hadn’t quite gotten around to figuring out what, exactly, but he definitely wouldn’t have asked Ittetsu out in the middle of practice, and definitely not like this.

”I’m sorry?” Ittetsu asks, still holding the volleyball Hinata had accidentally sent towards his face. His nose is bleeding, and Keishin thinks he might be in shock, his own words echoing inside his blank mind.

_”How am I supposed to ask you out if you’re in the hospital?” He had snapped as Ittetsu clutched his nose, attempting to smile at an apologising Hinata. The whole team had turned to stare at him, and wow, yes, he was absolutely the least mature person in the room right now._

”Let’s not do this right now...” he tries weakly, but then Nishinoya speaks up.

”So, you’re saying that you’re not dating Take-chan already, Coach?” he asks, and the team begins to murmur. “We were so sure, though!”

Ittetsu has turned bright red, and Keishin panics, thinking that he’s not going to stand a chance if the kids embarrass him now.

”Come on, it’s none of your concern,” he says, adopting his most authoritative voice before sending them to run laps. He’s got to do damage control quickly.

”I’m so sorry,” he begins. “Please don’t listen to them. If I’ve come on too strong…”

Ittetsu drops the volleyball and halts him with the hand that’s not pinching his nose, “Actually…” he says, sheepish, “I’d kind of been thinking that we were like that, too.”

Keishin stops still, taking a moment to process what Ittetsu has just said and then groans loudly, rubbing a hand over his face. “I can’t believe…” he says, then shakes his head, “Okay, Sawamura can lock up. First we’re going to the hospital, and then we’re going to talk about this.” He bites back a grin, but Ittetsu doesn’t even bother restraining his, wincing when his nose wrinkles with the movement.

”I really want to kiss you now,” he says honestly, and Keishin sighs.

”Please don’t, you’re really gross.”

”Later, then,” Ittetsu replies, and it’s a promise Keishin’s looking forward to seeing fulfilled.

**Author's Note:**

> look for [arotsukki](http://arotsukki.tumblr.com/) on tumblr if you want to find me.


End file.
